Siddeshwar Swami (born Siddagonda Ogappa Biradar; 5 September 1940 – 2 January 2023) was an Indian Hindu saint and spiritual leader known for his teachings on yoga and spirituality. Swami was the head of ''Jnanayogashrama'', an

ashram An ashram ( sa, आश्रम, ) is a spiritual hermitage or a monastery in Indian religions. Etymology The Sanskrit noun is a thematic nominal derivative from the root 'toil' (< Vijayapura Vijayapur is a town in Devanahalli taluk and Bangalore Rural district in the Indian state of Karnataka. Vijayapura's old name is Vadigenahalli. Local villagers still refer Vijayapura as Vadigenahalli. Geography Vijayapura is located at . It has ...

(formerly Bijapur), in the Indian state of Karnataka. He declined the

Padma Shri Padma Shri (IAST: ''padma śrī''), also spelled Padma Shree, is the fourth-highest civilian award of the Republic of India, after the Bharat Ratna, the Padma Vibhushan and the Padma Bhushan. Instituted on 2 January 1954, the award is confe ...

, India's fourth-highest civilian award, when it was awarded to him in 2018. He had earlier declined an honorary doctorate from the

Karnatak University Karnatak University is a public state university in Dharwad district of Karnataka state, India. The university is recognized by University Grants Commission and accredited by National Assessment and Accreditation Council (NAAC). As of 2014, ...

Early life

Swami was born as Siddagonda Ogappa Biradar on 5 September 1940, to Sangavva and Ogappa Gowda Biradar into a

Lingayat Lingayatism or Veera Saivism is a Hindu denomination based on Shaivism. Initially known as ''Veerashaivas'', since the 12th-century adherents of this faith are known as ''Lingayats''. The terms ''Lingayatism'' and '' Veerashaivism'' have been ...

family of agriculturists. His father was a

zamindar A zamindar (Hindustani: Devanagari: , ; Persian: , ) in the Indian subcontinent was an autonomous or semiautonomous ruler of a province. The term itself came into use during the reign of Mughals and later the British had begun using it as ...

and had six childrenthree sons and three daughters, with Swami being the eldest. From a young age, he was deeply interested in spiritual matters and spent much of his time studying the Hindu scriptures and practising yoga and meditation. At 14, he completed his primary school education and joined Mallikarjun Swami's

ashram An ashram ( sa, आश्रम, ) is a spiritual hermitage or a monastery in Indian religions. Etymology The Sanskrit noun is a thematic nominal derivative from the root 'toil' (< He completed his pre-university education in Vijayapura and got a

Bachelor of Arts Bachelor of arts (BA or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts degree course is generally completed in three or four yea ...

degree from

Dharwad Dharwad (), also known as Dharwar, is a city located in the north western part of the Indian state of Karnataka. It is the headquarters of the Dharwad district of Karnataka and forms a contiguous urban area with the city of Hubballi. It was merge ...

. He followed it with a

postgraduate degree Postgraduate or graduate education refers to academic or professional degrees, certificates, diplomas, or other qualifications pursued by post-secondary students who have earned an undergraduate (bachelor's) degree. The organization and s ...

in philosophy from

Shivaji University Shivaji University, established in 1962, is a state university located at Kolhapur, Maharashtra, India. The university, with a campus spread over , is named after Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, founder of the Maratha Empire. It was inaugurated ...

Kolhapur Kolhapur () is a city on the banks of the Panchganga River in the southern part of the Indian state of Maharashtra. It is the administrative headquarter of the Kolhapur district. In, around 2 C.E. Kolapur's name was 'Kuntal'. Kolhapur is k ...

in Maharashtra.

Religious career

After his initiation, Swami spent many years studying and practising the teachings of the Hindu scriptures, particularly the '' Bhagavad Gita'' and the ''

Yoga Sutras of Patanjali The ''Yoga Sutras of Patañjali'' is a collection of Sanskrit sutras (aphorisms) on the theory and practice of yoga – 195 sutras (according to Vyasa, Vyāsa and Krishnamacharya) and 196 sutras (according to others, including BKS Iyengar). ...

''. He also travelled across India, giving lectures and leading spiritual retreats. Swami was the head of ''Jnanayogashrama'', an

(formerly Bijapur), in the Indian state of

Karnataka Karnataka (; ISO: , , also known as Karunāḍu) is a state in the southwestern region of India. It was formed on 1 November 1956, with the passage of the States Reorganisation Act. Originally known as Mysore State , it was renamed ''Kar ...

. His discourses on various

yogic Yoga (; sa, योग, lit=yoke' or 'union ) is a group of physical, mental, and spiritual practices or disciplines which originated in ancient India and aim to control (yoke) and still the mind, recognizing a detached witness-conscio ...

principles, and complex philosophical topics using simple language attracted a large following, across religious barriers. Despite being a Hindu religious leader, his disciples spanned religions including Muslims who used to visit his ashram to hear his lectures. His discourses drew upon anecdotes from

Basavanna Basaveshwara, colloquially known as Basavanna, was a 12th-century CE Indian statesman, philosopher, poet, Lingayat social reformer in the Shiva-focussed bhakti movement, and a Hindu Shaivite social reformer during the reign of the Kalyani Chal ...

Sharana Sharana ( ps, ښرنه) or Sharan ( fa, شاران) is the capital of Paktika Province, Afghanistan. It is located at an altitude of 2,200 meters. Its population was estimated to be 2,200 in 2006. The city of Sharana has a population of 15,651 ( ...

literature and other epics in the local language. He was also known to draw from teachings of

Shankaracharya Shankaracharya ( sa, शङ्कराचार्य, , " Shankara-''acharya''") is a religious title used by the heads of amnaya monasteries called mathas in the Advaita Vedanta tradition of Hinduism. The title derives from Adi Shankara; tea ...

, Madhavacharya, and

Ramanujacharya Ramanuja ( Middle Tamil: Rāmāṉujam; Classical Sanskrit: Rāmanuja; 1017 CE – 1137 CE; ; ), also known as Ramanujacharya, was an Indian Hindu philosopher, guru and a social reformer. He is noted to be one of the most important exponents ...

, in addition to other religious prophets including Jesus, Abraham, and Mohammed. Most of his sermons were in the local dialect of Kannada, in addition to Marathi and English. In addition to his teachings on yoga and spirituality, Swami was also known for his philanthropic efforts, establishing several charitable organisations to help the disadvantaged. He had written over 20 books on Indian philosophy and ''

Vachana sahitya Vachana sahitya is a form of rhythmic writing in Kannada (see also Kannada poetry) that evolved in the 11th century and flourished in the 12th century, as a part of the Sharana movement. Madara Chennaiah, an 11th-century cobbler-saint who li ...

''. Many of his discourses were also published as books. Swami declined the

, India's fourth-highest civilian award, when it was awarded to him in 2018, stating that as a ''

sanyasi ''Sannyasa'' (Sanskrit: संन्यास; IAST: ), sometimes spelled Sanyasa (सन्न्यास) or Sanyasi (for the person), is life of renunciation and the fourth stage within the Hindu system of four life stages known as '' ...

'', or ascetic, "he had no interest in such awards". He had earlier declined a honorary doctorate from the

. He also returned a sum of money given by the government of

for the ashram's development, stating that the ashram did not need it.

Personal life and death

Swami lived in a two-room house within the ''Jnanayogashrama'' ashram. Swami died on 2 January 2023. In his will, he requested that no memorial be built for him and that his body be cremated without any post-death rituals. His final rites were completed in the ashram.

Explanatory notes

References

External links

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Jnana Yogashrama
on YouTube {{DEFAULTSORT:Swami, Siddeshwar 1940 births 2023 deaths Hindu religious leaders Indian religious leaders Karnatak University alumni Shivaji University alumni